Tennesseans at War, 1812-1815

Tennesseans at War, 1812– 1815 by Tom Kanon tells the often forgotten story of the central role citizens and soldiers from Tennessee played in the Creek War in Alabama and War of 1812.

Although frequently discussed as separate military conflicts, the War of 1812 against Great Britain and the Creek War against Native Americans in the territory that would become Alabama were part of the same forceful projection of growing American power. Success in both wars won for America security against attack from abroad and vast tracks of new land in “ the Old Southwest.” In Tennesseans at War, 1812– 1815, Tom Kanon explains the role Tennesseans played in these changes and how they remade the south.

Because it was a landlocked frontier state, Tennessee’ s economy and security depended heavily upon the river systems that traversed the region; some, like the Tennessee River, flowed south out of the state and into Native American lands. Tennesseans of the period perceived that gaining mastery of these waterways formed an urgent part of their economic survival and stability.

The culmination of fifteen years’ research, Kanon’ s work draws on state archives, primary sources, and eyewitness accounts, bringing the information in these materials together for first time. Not only does he narrate the military campaigns at the heart of the young nation’ s expansion, but he also deftly recalls the economic and social pressures and opportunities that encouraged large numbers of Tennesseans to leave home and fight. He expertly weaves these themes into a cohesive narrative that culminates in the vivid military victories of the War of 1812, the Creek War, and the legendary Battle of New Orleans— the victory that catapulted Tennessee’ s citizen-soldier Andrew Jackson to the presidency.

Expounding on the social roles and conditions of women, slaves, minorities, and Native Americans in Tennessee, Kanon also brings into focus the key idea of the “ home front” in the minds of Tennesseans doing battle in Alabama and beyond. Kanon shows how the goal of creating, strengthening, and maintaining an ordered society permeated the choices and actions of the American elites on the frontiers of the young nation.

Much more than a history of Tennesseans or the battles they fought in Alabama, Tennesseans at War, 1812– 1815, is the gripping story of a pivotal turning point in the history of the young American republic.

Cover

Title Page, Copyright, Dedication

Contents

Introduction

In May 1846, over thirty years after the conclusion of the War of 1812, veteran
Thomas Bradley, now elderly and ill, had an opportunity to once more exhibit
patriotic ardor when the United States declared war on the Republic
of
Mexico. Shortly after the declaration, volunteers began assembling throughout
the various
counties of Tennessee. In Wilson County, the volunteer spirit...

Chapter 1

“America is the fortunate Country, and the State of Tennessee is the fortunate
spot in America,” wrote David Campbell in 1809 from Knoxville. “No
part of the Earth exceeds us in Soil, climate, and fine Streams of Water. . . .
I rejoice I have settled here, where my family can enjoy plenty, and ease.”
Campbell, formerly a judge on the Tennessee Superior Court of Law and...

Chapter 2

The Nashville Clarion publicized the news of the declaration of the “second
war for independence,” appropriately, on the Fourth of July. An express rider
thundered into the state capital the evening before, with President Madison’s
proclamation in hand. The significance of the news arriving on the eve
of the Fourth of July was not lost on the Clarion’s editor. “It was this day 36...

Chapter 3

On Sunday, September
12, 1813, an express rider arrived in Nashville to hand
Governor Willie Blount a shocking report “of the dreadful slaughter of several
hundred of our fellow citizens by the Creek Indians.” The dispatch referred
to the massacre that had taken place on August 30 at the fortified
stockade known as Fort Mims, located in a remote region of the Mississippi...

Chapter 4

With the initial phase of the Creek War completed, Major General Thomas
Pinckney began pressing Jackson to link the East and West Tennessee armies
in order for them to march to the junction of the Coosa and Tallapoosa
Rivers—a site known as the Hickory Ground—and establish a garrison
there. Consequently, Jackson instructed John Cocke on December
6, 1813,...

Images

Chapter 5

James Rhea, a merchant in Blountsville, Tennessee, had a disturbing dream
in late June 1814, so troubling that he jotted down this entry in his diary on
June 27: “Last night I, James Rhea, dreamed I saw in the Northern
Region
many Streaks as Red as Blood—broad—pointing downward—this dream
may be a sign of war.” His concern mirrored the news coming from Europe...

Chapter 6

Private James McCutchen, of Dyer’s First Regiment of West Tennessee volunteer
mounted gunmen, scribbled this entry in his diary on December
23,
1814, at New Orleans: “we marched 10 miles down to the Battle ground where
we had an engagement with the British and lay on the ground all night.” In
his usual brusque style, McCutchen summed up the critical
initial engagement...

Chapter 7

On January
24, 1815, the citizens of New Orleans flocked to the Place d’Armes
(soon to be renamed Jackson Square) to pay homage to their newly declared
champion, Major General Andrew Jackson. The Abbe Guillaume Dubourg,
apostolic administrator of the Louisiana diocese, headed preparations for the
celebration, which centered on a religious service of public
thanksgiving. It...

Welcome to Project MUSE

Use the simple Search box at the top of the page or the Advanced Search linked from the top of the page to find book and journal content. Refine results with the filtering options on the left side of the Advanced Search page or on your search results page. Click the Browse box to see a selection of books and journals by: Research Area, Titles A-Z, Publisher, Books only, or Journals only.